Effectiveness of Protective Devices for Radiation Studied in Interventional Cardiologists

February 2, 2018—Online in EuroIntervention, Edilaine Honorio da Silva et al published a study on the effectiveness of protective devices (ceiling-suspended screens, lead glasses, and lead caps) on reducing the radiation dose received by the brains of interventional cardiologists (2018;13:e1778–e1784).

In the study, the investigators modeled interventional procedures in which the thorax of the patient is irradiated with different beam projections. The dose reduction in the white matter and hippocampus of the Zubal head phantom was studied for two sizes of ceiling-suspended screens, two types of lead glasses, and lead caps of surgical and hood models that cover different regions of the head.

The investigators reported that ceiling screens were the most effective device, reducing the dose to brain tissue by 74% and potentially even as much as 94%. The dose reduction provided by lead glasses varies between 10% and 17%. For the lead caps, dose reduction strongly depended on the model, varying from 6% (surgical) to 68% (a hood that also covered lower parts of the head).

The dose to the brain can be reduced by using appropriate radiation protection devices, lead caps are less protective than previously described, and that the best protection is given by ceiling-suspended screens, which are widely available in interventional theaters, concluded the investigators in EuroIntervention.

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Cardiac Interventions Today (ISSN 2572-5955 print and ISSN 2572-5963 online) is a publication dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of the latest developments in technology, techniques, clinical studies, and regulatory and reimbursement issues in the field of coronary and cardiac interventions. Cardiac Interventions Today premiered in March 2007 and each edition contains a variety of topics in a flexible format, including articles covering various perspectives on current clinical topics, in-depth interviews with expert physicians, overviews of available technologies, industry news, and insights into the issues affecting today's interventional cardiology practices.